Awww...it is suppose to be a lovely break in the heat today. Not that it has anything to do with it being Monday. It just makes me happy. So before we head out to start the day, let's check out this week's Musing Monday question from Miz B at Should Be Reading ..
This week’s musing asks…Do you set goals for yourself, while reading? For example, “I want to get this book finished this weekend“, or “I will read __ pages today“, etc. Why, or why not?
For better or worse, I am not really a person who sets goals.
My reading, like most of my life, has no set schedule.
As usual, I blame..or thank...my work schedule.
One Monday I am working..the next Monday I am off.
Today, I slept all day..tomorrow I will sleep at night.
So my reading, like eating and sleep and doing the laundry is in a sort of free floating schedule. Which I guess is no schedule at all.
I have read one blogger who sets a certain amount of time that he reads every morning. So neat, so tidy, so organized. The idea appeals, but is impossible.
That would never work for me. One day I would be asleep, the next at my office.
Reading just has to fit into the plan for the day and the role reading plays in any day fluctuates drastically. If I think about it...and I have not until now...there is a certain pattern, following the four week pattern of my work schedule.
When I work days, I read very little, if at all. I go to work for 12 hours, come home, eat, care for the kitty, make lunch for the next day, maybe watch some mindless TV for an hour and go to sleep. On the other hand, when I work nights, I often read a great deal. At work. I will not state a definite number of hours, but it is a few.
Days off can range from reading all day, to not reading at all, depending on the Real Life demands of such annoying things as going to the supermarket, cleaning the house, hacking back the backyard jungle and such. Ya never know.
So the idea of saying "I must finish this book by today" or "I will read 100 pages today", just does not fit into my reading lifestyle. Ya get some time, ya read. No time, no reading.
And some days, you just ignore all your obligations and get lost in the wonderful world of a wonderful book.
That being said, I will admit that, since starting to blog, I do feel a certain book reading pressure. It is a vague, free floating sort of anxiety. If I were better organized, like if I had a real calendar of my reading 'obligations', it might not be so vague. It is one reason I don't do book challenges and few book tours. But still, it is always in my mind that I have X number of library books, due back by a certain time, Library Thing Early Reviewer books to review, Amazon Vine books that must be read to keep my reviews over 80% or get thrown out, the odd book tour I have a schedule day for, the publication dates of review copies I have accepted. Yes, if I actually paid real attention to all that, I might feel rather pressured.
And I can not have that.
Because let's remember folks, reading is suppose to be fun!
So don't worry.
And now, to leave you with one of those tunes that will play in your head all day...
I love this kind of thinking...I have been feeling a bit of that kind of pressure, too...and I don't like it!
ReplyDeleteWhat to do...what to do?
Wonderful post, Caite! Have a Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always so much fun! Have a good week and happy reading and other stuff. "Hacking back the backyard jungle" - I picture a woman with a machete madly hacking away while Larry the wonder cat and imaginary kitty watch out the window shaking their furry heads.
ReplyDeleteLarry the Wonder Cat...maybe he needs a superhero costume!
DeleteI agree with Kaye. I know I will always start my week out with a chuckle reading your MM post. Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDeleteI like to read for pleasure, so I don't set goals for myself, either.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaye, I always get a chuckle each Monday when I read your MM. I read for my own entertainment, after all I am retired and am not on a schedule of any kind. But, I still have a little goal I set for myself.
ReplyDeleteI've found that I can't take the pressure either! I'll start with one challenge or due date and then I pick up another and before long it's just a pile of deadlines! So I prefer to just leave them, lol. Nice post :) I'm sorry you have to deal with an "odd and inhumane" working schedule. I kind of know what that's like. But on another note, I frequently visit my family members who live in South Jersey and I love those trips! :D Thanks for stopping by Caite! Have a great monday!
ReplyDeleteaspen
http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com
I'm pretty much in your ballpark. I get twitchy if my reading slows down, only because I'm anxious to start the one sitting on the top of the stack. I have a few commitments but I generally give myself a lot of time to get them done. But no goals. It would suck the fun right out of everything.
ReplyDeleteI definitely know what you mean about pressure. It's not a lot, but as someone who is never late for anything, I find that having more than 1 author review request floating makes me feel so pressured to hurry up and finish. I have more requests than ever before right now and the books are piling up. Yet, I keep saying yes and keep going and buying books! haha. I'm a pretty organized person, but I hate knowing that someone is waiting on me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Yeah with a blog there is always a little more of a pressure, and I totally know reading is for fun! Great post. I just enjoy reading so much I want to read as much as possible. Thanks for stopping by today!
ReplyDeleteBlogging does add reading pressure, doesn't it?! I don't set any goals either.
ReplyDeleteHi Caite, luv ur blog:D **New Follower** I love the sea and lighthouses too.
ReplyDeleteas should everyone!!
DeleteI agree that reading should not be pressured. Reading is that thing I like to do when I'm NOT working. I really don't want it to be like another job (I really don't need another!). I think your blog is great, and you've kept up with the reviews nicely :) good work.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteBecause of all the reviews I committed myself too, I end up having to give myself deadlines. I'm hoping to catch up and get back to reading for fun.
I don't have a schedule either...some days it just happens in long spurts, and some days it doesn't happen at all. My job too take up a lot of my time at different times of the year. At the end of school semesters I'm lucky if I get to read anything at all except the essays my students write. But now, while I'm off for the summer (on purpose, I might add), I'm reading like a crazy woman who has nothing else to do :) I'm like you, though...I'm determined not to make this a job or more pressure. :)
ReplyDeletehahaha! love your response and the video you posted. Yes, there are times that I don't read at all. I let life take a hold of me. In times like these is when I really set the goals because I feel like if I don't read, then I might go dumb.
ReplyDeleteReading should be fun … and book blogging does add a certain element of "pressure" that wasn't there before. Yet the benefits outweigh the disadvantages as I'm reading better and more diverse books than before and I'm thinking about them more critically.
ReplyDeleteI think since starting a book blog I also feel that vague sort of pressure to read more and have more of a schedule. But, I just can't add that much pressure to my life. Both reading and the blog are supposed to be fun endeavors! Why mess it up?
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for visiting my blog!
ReplyDeleteI don't really 'worry'. Usually my challenges don’t really ‘challenge’ me. I mostly do challenges that revolve around books I am comfortable with. I read the normal books I read and go on as usual. This year only one challenge the 2012 Sci-Fi Challenge is proving to be a challenge as I am fond of Sci-Fi but don’t get to read it as much.